2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food containers and more specifically to advanced food containers, which are fabricated using less material and may be assembled in less time than comparable prior art food containers.
3. Discussion of the Prior Art
Presently, retail food outlets utilize square corrugated paperboard food boxes for transport and delivery of food items such as pizza or pies. Pizzas and pies are generally round, therefore square corrugated paperboard food boxes are constructed with a significant amount of unused material, which creates unneeded waste. The square corrugated paperboard food box must also be folded into shape before use which causes an unneeded waste of time and cost to the food outlet.
Attempts have been made to decrease the amount wasted time and material required to fabricate food containers, while maintaining desirable thermal and structural characteristics. There have been at least two patents directed at providing an alternative to the square corrugated paperboard food box. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,301 Aggio discloses a generally round container for the storage of a pizza. The Aggio invention does reduce material. However, Aggio abandons a corrugated paperboard base panel, which would normally act as a thermal barrier on the base of the food container.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,552 Watanabe. Watanabe discloses an octagon shaped corrugated paperboard container for the storage of food items. The Watanabe invention reduces material and allows for more storage freedom to the food outlet. However, Watanabe may not be simple to manufacture.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide advanced food containers, which use less material, allow for rapid assembly and can be more easily stored than that of comparable prior art food containers, while maintaining significant structural and thermal reliability.
The present invention is an advanced food container, which is fabricated from less material than comparable prior art food containers, allows for rapid assembly and can be more readily stored than that of comparable prior art food containers. The embodiments of the present invention are differentiated from the prior art in that there are three separate parts as opposed to one or two parts found in many prior art food containers. The present invention includes a ring frame, a bottom panel and a removable lid. The ring frame may be constructed of a different material than the bottom panel and the removable lid.
A first embodiment of an advanced food container includes a ring frame, a bottom panel, and a removable lid. The ring frame includes a tapered wall with a bottom support surface disposed at substantially a bottom thereof and a lid support surface disposed at substantially at top thereof. Preferably, at least one foot projection extends from a bottom of the ring frame. The bottom of the ring frame may be solid or an opening may be formed through the bottom. The perimeter of the ring frame may have a circular, oval, square, or any other appropriate shape. An outer perimeter of the bottom support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the bottom panel and an outer perimeter of the lid support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the removable lid. At least one bottom retention projection is formed above the bottom support surface to retain the bottom panel. At least one lid retention projection is formed above the lid support surface to retain the removable lid. The removable lid preferably includes a lifting tab.
A second embodiment of an advanced food container includes a ring frame, a bottom panel, and a removable lid. The ring frame includes a tapered wall with a bottom support surface disposed at substantially a bottom thereof and a lid support surface disposed at substantially at top thereof. Preferably, at least one foot projection extends from a bottom of the ring frame. The bottom of the ring frame may be solid or an opening may be formed through the bottom. The perimeter of the ring frame may have a circular, oval, square, or any other appropriate shape. An outer perimeter of the bottom support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the bottom panel and an outer perimeter of the lid support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the removable lid. A plurality of bottom retention protrusions are formed above the bottom support surface to retain the bottom panel. A plurality of lid retention protrusions are formed above the lid support surface to retain the removable lid. The removable lid preferably includes a lifting tab.
A third embodiment of an advanced food container includes a ring frame, a bottom panel, and a removable lid. The ring frame includes a tapered wall with a bottom support surface disposed at substantially a bottom thereof and a lid support surface disposed at substantially a top thereof. Preferably, at least one foot projection extends from a bottom of the ring frame. The bottom of the ring frame may be solid or an opening may be formed through the bottom. The perimeter of the ring frame may have a circular, oval, square, or any other appropriate shape. An outer perimeter of the bottom support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the bottom panel and an outer perimeter of the lid support surface is sized to receive the outer perimeter of the removable lid. The bottom panel is attached to the bottom support surface with an adhesive or the like. The removable lid is retained on the lid support surface with at least one piece of tape or the like. The removable lid preferably includes a lifting tab.
A fourth embodiment of an advanced food container includes a ring frame, a bottom panel, and a removable lid. The ring frame includes a tapered wall with a bottom support surface disposed at substantially a bottom thereof and a lid support surface disposed at substantially at top thereof. Preferably, at least one foot projection extends from a bottom of the ring frame. The bottom of the ring frame may be solid or an opening may be formed through the bottom. The perimeter of the ring frame may have a circular, oval, square, or any other appropriate shape. The bottom panel includes a plurality of peripheral panel projections. The removable lid includes a plurality of peripheral lid projections. An outer perimeter of the bottom support surface is sized to receive a panel perimeter of the bottom panel and an outer perimeter of the lid support surface is sized to receive a lid perimeter of the removable lid. A plurality of panel slots are formed adjacent the bottom support surface and a plurality of lid slots are formed adjacent the lid support surface. The removable lid preferably includes a lifting tab.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an advanced food container, which is fabricated using less material than comparable prior art food containers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an advanced food container, which uses less material in construction than comparable prior art food containers, without sacrificing strength.
Finally, it is another object of the present invention to provide an advanced food container, which may be rapidly assembled.
These and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.